As expected, the newly hired Bill O'Brien will call his own plays and oversee the weekly game plan after the doing the same as Penn State's head coach over the past two seasons and, prior to that, as play-caller of the New England Patriots from 2009 to 2011.

Still, it's a mild surprise to see the Texans completely ignore the coordinator role, considering the heavy plate of tasks O'Brien will be asked to balance as a first-year NFL head coach. Even wunderkind Chip Kelly went so far as to hire an OC to help with his weekly slog of assignments last season.

Undoubtedly, O'Brien's cast of hand-picked aides will pitch in to break down tape and contribute to the scheme as part of a stripped-down offensive organization chart in Houston. It's an approach in sharp contrast to the Texans' in-state rivals, the Cowboys, who currently label Bill Callahan the team's offensive coordinator while housing Scott Linehan as a passing-game coordinator with play-calling duties -- clear as mud.

O'Brien is opting for a direct approach: his offense, his quarterback of choice. With Matt Schaub almost certainly to be released, Houston is seen by many as a strong candidate to select a passer with the first overall pick in May's draft.

Assuming they do so -- whether it's Teddy Bridgewater of Louisville, Blake Bortles of Central Florida or even Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel -- the next Texans signal-caller will be attached at the hip with O'Brien from Day 1. He wouldn't have it any other way.